Stories are louder than words
by christinajoanne
Summary: Kai and Jinora reads a historical saga together. Based on Jinora's lines in book 1, episode 5 where Jinora talks about a story where the heroine falls in love with the enemy general's son, rides a dragon into battle, and jumps into a volcano.


**A/N**: Inspired by kaiayame's picture of kainora. After contemplating Kai's character I came up with the assumption that - as a orphan growing up, it wouldn't be too farfetched to infer that Kai likely had the most minimalist type of schooling. I also took into consideration the quote of Kai needing some 'guidance.' Taking these ideas, I came up with this. I wrote this on July 16, 2014.

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><p>"I don't get it," Kai muttered earnestly, his brows wedged together in concentration. "So, I'm the enemy's general son?"<p>

Kai had a knack for assigning and changing the abstract world of fiction and myths into what he believed was more lasting and ingrained. He enjoyed renaming the characters from Jinora's books into his friends (based off their characteristics); into people he met on the street; into the little things that caught his eye; into people he felt were more tangible and relevant to him.

Jinora turned her head up towards him, a cheeky grin laying apparent on her face before she patted his cheek, "You tell me."

Kai slid a tight arm around her waist, drawing her closer. He ringed the side of her hair behind her ear and settled his chin into the crook of her neck. "It's pretty obvious, you're the heroine. They should just rename her Jinora. Smart, tough, kind. And well - the guy is brave and strong and good looking, and it's pretty clear that I'm also all those things -."

He received another playful slap from the back of her palm.

Kai's chuckling ceased as he stopped and stared at the back of Jinora's head. Her figure settled almost perfectly between his arms and legs.

His voice softened into something tender and gentle, "And, he also loves the heroine very much, so yes. Yes - I would say I'm definitely him."

He could feel Jinora's neck heat up against his own heavy cheek.

He peered at the book, their fingers twining at the bottom of the hardcover as his other hand turned the page with delicate care, "So what happens to them? The heroine and the enemy's son, I mean."

"Oh no you don't, Kai. I am not going to spoil it for you! You've got to find it out on your own."

The crease in his forehead wrinkled, "But I've already read that last book with the Mako character in it. I'm tired, and plus this book is a bit harder than the Mako book," he argued, hitting his head against the tree he was leaning on. "Too many big words, Jin."

"But how do you expect to ever get better if you don't read more?"

Kai sighed, "I guess this is my own fault for having such a smart girlfriend."

The airbending girl elbowed his side, "Come on, I'll help - here, let's start off from chapter seven, okay - right here."

She could feel Kai's mouth and eyes draw into a flattened line as he mumbled the words, "Taking the dragon's left wing, she pro-pro-propelled her body up to grasp its back. Her movements pac-pack-i-fied?"

"Pacified, pacify, Kai," Jinora clarified, "It means to appease, like to calm down."

"That's stupid, why didn't they just say that then."

Jinora shrugged her shoulders, "It's great to add variety to your vocabulary; and plus it's less wordy, and redundant."

"Redundant, redundant," he murmured to himself in thought, "That's ugh, that's the word from that - scary Tenzin book with Korra and the outlaws - it means like alot of times, right?"

He nodded slowly, her own matching, gentle nods encouraging him further, "Like, like, ugh, oh, wait - repetitious, yeah? Did I get it?"

Jinora set the book to the side of their knees. A huge smile graced her lips as she twisted around to cup his face. His breath caught in his throat as she pressed her lips lightly over his in congratulations. "Yup, that's right. Absolutely correct. I'm so proud, Kai."

She could only giggle when she saw his serious, thinking face become dazed and flushed. "Okay," she said turning back again, his body still squirming in goofiness.

She settled her shoulders against his chest, "Back to the story."

They spent the rest of the day in that field, the grass waving with the wind as the tree provided them shade from the harsh sun.

Jinora closed the book in finality, "So what you think?"

"I don't get it!" Kai said in exasperation, his arms up in a flail, "So that's it? She jumps into the volcano? Did she die? Spirits - they spend a good two pages describing her jumping in, but they don't describe anything afterwards? But what about the general's son? I mean it's obvious since the general's son is a firebender, he saved her right? He realized his love for her, was more important than his country, right? What happened to her, to him; to them?"

Jinora extricated herself from him, pressing the book down into his lap. She straightened her body up; her hair twining with the setting rays of the afternoon sun.

She turned to him then, a gentleness in her eyes, "That's the beauty of books and authors, Kai. They leave it open on purpose, they allow us to make our own ending; it tells us that nothing is shaped finitely. How do you think it ends? Do you think they end up together?"

He gazed at her; his eyes so mixed with love and admiration.

He swore he saw a second meaning to her words; a more intimate one that was closer to home; closer to their own story. "Yes," he said breathless; the wonder and respect he held for the girl overwhelming him, "There is not a doubt in my mind."

He stood up with the book in his hand; her back turning to meet his face as their eyes met.

"Yeah?" she asked.

He concentrated on the book, his eyes strong; almost as if his stare would uncover a secret chapter, a cryptic and unpublished different ending. He held one side of the long rectangular hardcover with both palms, and pressed the other end of the book towards her.

She grabbed the book with her own two hands; blushing as their fingers faintly brushed against the other. Jinora breathed in as her mind swirled.

It felt like an uncontrollable ball of wind, so big she couldn't even control it with airbending, was swirling around them. She felt the story coming alive inside her; the characters of the heroine and the general's son coming to life as them.

They stared at one another, their two palms joined to the book.

"What do you mean?"

"I think the heroine jumped into the volcano because the general's son was drowning in the lava. He was drowning, he's been drowning his whole life, you know? Being engulfed - overwhelmed by reality. All his life, he's been stifled, overpowered; drowned. She gave him the only thing he's ever wanted in life."

"And what's that?" she whispered, feeling the sun set behind her.

"A chance," he smiled back. "When his whole world was falling around him, when his country turned their back on him, when he was alone in the world, she was there."

He continued, "She welcomed him with open arms. She didn't care about his shady background and about all the mistakes he made in the past. No, did you know what she did for him, Jin?"

"What?" she asked quietly. The sky turned dark around them; his eyes tracing the lines of every beautiful shape and curve of her face.

"She saved him," he started, "She gave him a way, she guided him through, she made him a better person, she taught him what it meant to love and be loved. For a firebender, you wouldn't have imagined how cold life made him. I think she saved him in ways more than one."

"And then what?"

"And then he…he spent the rest of his life chasing after her; attempting to make it up to her, always knowing he'd never deserve someone as perfect as her. So he'd chased - tried his best not to fall behind. He did what he could, and always knew it was never enough. He was never enough."

A light breeze blew through them, her hair, flying in front of her peripheral; their gazes intense and light all at the same time - .

He took his hands off the book and started to make his way towards home. "Anyways, let's go back home, Jin, it's dark. Sifu's probably wondering why you're not inside already. "

He started first down the grassy road, his ankles fully covered.

Jinora stared at the book, her eyes studying the velvet cover and the brownish paper. She turned it over and over in her palms.

When Kai noticed her absence he turned around slowly, almost in a worry. Maybe he said too much.

"Jin?"

"He never had to chase. Maybe she never wanted his gratitude," she said smoothing out the blank page at the ending flap.

"Wha-?"

"She never ran. He had her all along. All she wanted was anything he had to offer. It was enough. He'd always be more than enough. "

"Jin -" He started, a leg out and ahead of the other; ready to walk towards her.

"I love you," she breathed, tears running down her face, "What's so hard to understand about that?"

He stopped then, a choke emerging from inside him as he smiled a watery grin at her.

She ran into his open arms; the book long forgotten among the tall grass.

He twirled her around, her feet up in the air; weightless; their lips smooth against one another. "I love you. I love you, too."

A huge grin pulled his lips as he settled her back down. She picked at his shirt, her fingers twirling up around his neck as she whispered, "Although I do commend your incredibly thorough analysis, I must say that it's slightly off — especially everything you said about you being anything less than perfect. Kai - you're amazing."

They wrote their stories, they made their own endings.

And they decided theirs were going to end with a happily ever after.


End file.
